While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 25: New Food

They seemed to be in pretty good shape, so it shouldn't have been a big deal for the girls.

Even though Margaret was on her period, it didn't hold her back at all. After cleaning up the bloodstains, she was back to her usual self in no time.

Our fence was up, and the camp felt pretty safe, but we couldn't just sit around waiting for rescue. With our basic needs covered, our next mission was to figure out how to get off this island ASAP.

In the meantime, if we could team up with more survivors, our chances of making it would go up.

We'd scoped out most of the area around the camp, but the farther spots were still a mystery. Sure, the food and wood nearby were enough for now, but if rescue took too long, we'd be in trouble.

To keep the camp stable, we had to gather supplies from farther out, making sure we didn't wreck the ecosystem too much.

I also put up a wolf-proof fence to keep some animals around for a steady meat supply.

We caught a few hares, but they were so lean it was a lot of work for hardly any meat or energy.

Living off wild berries and mushrooms wasn't enough to keep us going, let alone explore new areas.

Despite that, I planned to check the baskets of shells on the shore and replace the seaweed on the distress signal near the beach tomorrow.

The last time I went to the beach, I wanted to swap out the dried seaweed, but I saw Lilian picking up shells to eat, so I put it off.

Early the next morning, I grabbed my axe and headed to the beach.

The seaweed on the rocks had dried up in the sun. What used to be green was now pale yellow, and it crumbled to powder with a touch.

I brushed off the dried seaweed and sat on the rock. It still felt a bit warm.

Looking out at the endless horizon and the shell traps on the beach, I zoned out.

"Why are you out here alone?" Lilian's voice came from behind me. "Didn't we agree to always go together when leaving the camp?"

Before I could answer, she sat down next to me. She smelled faintly of flowers like she'd just taken a shower.

"You just took a shower?" I asked, surprised.

I knew the distance between the camp and the creek. When I left, they were still asleep. How did Lilian manage to shower and get to the beach so fast?

She nodded, her hair hanging over her shoulders, now completely dry. Her fluffy hair swayed gently in the sea breeze, looking really comfy.

Lilian was only wearing a sports bra and cargo pants. The pants were baggy and had a big section cut off. They probably weren't hers, but she used them to cover up.

We sat by the beach, the sea breeze brushing against our cheeks.

For a moment, I even thought that being stranded on this island wasn't so bad.

"I actually woke up early. After you left, I went to take a shower," Lilian said with a smile. "What are you waiting for here?"

I looked up at the sky, staying silent.

We both knew that the rescue we were hoping for might never come.

Since our shipwreck, we prayed every day for someone to rescue us, but so much time had passed without a single sign of a search-and-rescue team—no boats, no helicopters, nothing. And heck, it wasn't just our ship that went down!

To be honest, I had lost hope.

If we were going to get off this island, it would probably be by our own efforts.

"...a miracle." Even though I was mentally prepared, I couldn't help but sigh.

Lilian's gaze darkened, and she sighed too, looking at the sky.

In situations like this, everyone felt dejected and helpless, but Lilian had never shown it before.

She usually had no expression on her face, but she was always the most serious in whatever she did. I felt comfortable letting her leave the camp alone to find food or do other things.

"By the way, why did you come to pick up the shells I caught?" I finally asked the question that had been on my mind.

Given her abilities, it seemed like she could easily find food in the woods.

"It's convenient. There's fresh food every morning," she said matter-of-factly. "I didn't have a camp or companions, so it was hard to get a stable food source."

"Plus, these things are high in protein and have some salt." She seemed to recall an unpleasant memory and made a disgusted face. "Although eating them raw is awful, at least they provide the energy I need."

Lilian stuck out her tongue at me and then went to pick up the shells by the beach.

I immediately got up and started searching the sand with her.

I could catch seven or eight small shells in my traps every day, and sometimes even bigger ones.

Before this, I had also found oysters on the rocks by the beach, which were good food. The only downside was that before we got the fruit knife, we couldn't pry the oysters off the rocks.

"Give me your knife, and we can have a good meal tonight." While we were picking up shells by the beach, I suddenly saw a small patch of oysters.

These things usually cluster together on one or a few rocks. Their shells blend with the rocks, making it hard to remove them whole.

But it was much easier if you used a knife to pry open their shells and took out the edible part.

"Are these oysters?" Lilian was a bit surprised, her face showing amazement.

We exchanged a glance and immediately rushed to the rocks. My axe wasn't very effective, and it took a long time to get a piece of oyster meat.

But Lilian's fruit knife was very handy.

She didn't hand me the fruit knife but started digging with me.

Although the fruit knife didn't have a blade, it was much thinner than the axe.

She could easily insert the knife into the middle of the oyster shell, and with a slight twist, the shell would open. The knife tip could also easily scoop out the oyster meat.

She collected quickly, and soon she had a bag full of oyster meat.